Curiosity

Young children are innately curious. They love to ask questions.

Why doesn't Tarzan have a beard?

Why is it called "after dark" when it is really "after light"?

If we evolved from apes, why do we still have apes?

Why are they called "apartments" when they're stuck together?

Why is it that no matter what color bubble bath I use, the bubbles are always clear?

This is how you and I behaved as children. We collected information from all our senses like crazy and asked hundreds of questions. We marveled at the world around us and wondered how things worked.

In Matthew 18:4 NASB95, Jesus says: “Whoever then humbles himself as this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” This humility that Jesus was speaking about is what makes children eager to learn. This makes them very creative.

Curiosity is an essential ingredient of creativity and a powerful fuel for your lamp. This strong desire to know or learn something propels us forward to explore, seek, and experiment.

A lack of curiosity can lead to apathy, boredom, conformity, low empathy, and a sense of being stuck.

How curious are you?

The LORD reveals himself to those who inquire.

Throughout the Bible, God shows that it is good to be curious, to ask questions, to seek and to press in. He says: Ask, seek, knock! (Matthew 7:7-12.)

Here are a few examples:

Curiosity led Moses to investigate a strange bush that seemed to be on fire but not getting burnt. (Exodus 3:3)

Gideon sought many answers from the angel who visited him as he hid from marauders. God did not strike him dead for this inquisitiveness, but rather filled him with power and courage and helped him to become a successful leader and warrior. (Judges 6:13)

Curiosity prompted the Ethiopian to read Isaiah as he traveled home from Jerusalem in a chariot. When Philip ran alongside him and asked him if he understood what he was reading, the eunuch’s great desire to learn led him to invite Philip up beside him on his journey. He asked the questions and God opened his mind to understand the scriptures. (Acts 8:34-35)

Creative exercise

Pay attention to your thinking over the next few days and notice:

Do you wonder how everyday technology works?

Are you interested in finding out about your colleagues’ lives?

Are you intrigued by science, art, engineering, or history?

Prayer

Lord, You know everything. You have created a world full of wonders. Thank you for inviting me to call to You and lean into You. Help me to ask more questions and better questions. Help me to be more curious about things. Open my eyes and ears to learn and grow. Amen.